NATIONAL NEWS:
The Atlantic Cities: Living Near Good Transit May Make You Happier
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/09/living-near-good-transit-may-make-you-happier/6867/
Jason Cao, a transport policy scholar at the University of Minnesota, has conducted a short but tidy study that demonstrates just what good public transit can mean to a person's life. His findings, in a word: satisfaction.
StreetsBlog: How TIGER Grants Can Transform Smaller American Cities for the Better
Fort Myers, Florida, might seem like an unlikely place for a safe streets revolution, but it’s exactly the type of place that needs it most.
Washington Post: House wants to sell you waterways legislation on YouTube
We need to ask you to hold that yawn for a second as the House rolls out the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 this afternoon.
New York Times: The Many Mysteries of Air Travel
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/the-many-mysteries-of-air-travel/?_r=0
For many travelers, airplanes and tech can be a constant source of conflict, passion — and questions.
Technology and air travel have always gone hand in hand, and they’re only getting more intertwined. From security at the airport to the rules about using electronics in flight to the final resting place of the plane’s toilet contents, airplanes and tech are a constant source of conflict, passion — and questions.
Shopfloor: Manufacturers Support Needed Investments in Critical Transportation Infrastructure
Today’s bipartisan introduction of the House Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA) is the right move by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). With all the uncertainties facing Congress this fall, keeping WRRDA on track must remain a priority. The release of today’s proposal puts the legislative process back on track and manufacturers greatly appreciate the bipartisan approach.
Governing: House Unveils Bill for Water Infrastructure Projects
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee revealed its much-awaited water bill Wednesday afternoon, touting the legislation as way to accelerate the approval process for infrastructure projects that are critical to the economy.
STATE NEWS:
The Boston Globe: Boston mayoral candidates respond to questions about MBTA
In response to a News Service questionnaire, nine of the 12 candidates for mayor of Boston offered their positions on whether the city should contribute funding for additional MBTA services in and around Boston. At question is the expansion of MBTA subway services later into the night or the return of late-night bus lines.
MPR News: Southwest Light Rail's fate has hinged on Kenilworth freight route for almost two decades
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/09/11/news/southwest-light-rail-kenilworth-freight
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The quandary over what to do with freight trains that currently use a portion of the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit route goes nearly two decades.
Philly.com: Philly developers talk transit trends PLANPHILLY New Dranoff properties at Broad and South
While it might seem obvious that a lot of people who work in Philadelphia get to work using public transportation, this relatively recent trend is part of a significant cultural shift that is already changing not only how Philadelphians commute but also how they do it and where they live.
MySA: Expensive streetcar route leaves VIA $70 million
After almost a year of debate and study, VIA Metropolitan Transit planners recommended Tuesday that the agency build a streetcar system nearly 6 miles long that reaches virtually every corner of downtown.
Twin Cities Daily Planet: Does Bus Rapid Transit have economic development effects?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/anonymous/does-bus-rapid-transit-have-economic-development-effects
In contrast, for Bus Rapid Transit systems, there is lots of peer-reviewed evidence, though not as much as we might like.
Washington Post: With new Metro map, agency tries to market Silver Line
Metro will unveil the newest version of its rail map Thursday, featuring the soon-to-open Silver Line in Northern Virginia and addressing a challenge: getting people to ride a line many say they don’t know much about and one they aren’t certain they want to use.
Washington Post: AP: Mississippi still trying to spend $872 million in federal Hurricane Katrina recovery money
JACKSON, Miss. — Eight years after Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast, Mississippi still hasn’t spent almost $1 billion in federal money dedicated to recovery from the storm.
Plain Dealer: Greater Cleveland roads will be graded to determine most pressing needs, NOACA says
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/09/greater_cleveland_roads_will_b.html
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A powerful regional planning agency that historically has operated somewhat off the radar for Northeast Ohioans will take to the stage in a bold way Friday when it will headline its launch of an ambitious plan to compile information on the condition of every highway, road and street in five counties.
Lincoln Journal Star: BNSF spending $110 million in Nebraska this year
BNSF Railway Co. announced Wednesday it plans to invest an estimated $110 million on maintenance and rail capacity expansion projects in Nebraska this year. The railroad spent almost twice that amount last year in the state.
Politico Morning Transportation
By Adam Snider | 9/12/13 5:44 AM EDT
Featuring Scott Wong, Kathryn A. Wolfe and Kevin Robillard
MT SCOOP — Sleep apnea bill: Today Reps. Larry Bucshon and Daniel Lipinski introduce a simple two-page bill (http://politico.pro/15V0F6k) stipulating that DOT can address sleep apnea for professional drivers only through a formal rulemaking. In a “Dear Colleague” letter (http://politico.pro/18Wfg2b) to be circulated amongst members, the two explain that the FMCSA plans to issue a non-binding “guidance” on testing for obstructive sleep apnea — the most common type — in commercial vehicle drivers. The trucking industry has estimated it could cost more than $1 billion each year, and the bill simply says that with the financial stakes that high, any agency action should be through a formal rulemaking process that allows public comment.
WRRDA IS THE WORD: The House T&I Committee unveiled its version of a water resources bill. First things first: Here’s text of H.R. 3090, the 159-page Water Resources Reform and Development Act (http://1.usa.gov/15WND7u), a section-by-section summary (http://politico.pro/15kjBif) and, in keeping with the for-the-general-public vibe of the whiteboard video, a doc explaining what the bill is and why it’s needed (http://politico.pro/1d64IBY).
SELLING THE BILL: Less wonk. More real-world relevance. That could be the new slogan for the lawmakers and lobbyists trying to pass the House’s first massive water infrastructure bill since 2007. The strategy: Emphasize the impact the bill will have on people’s everyday lives, including their clothing, home appliances and jobs. We’ve seen it in the Bill Shuster-narrated video explaining the bill. It’s evident in a bill overview that’s much easier to read than the text-only legislative summary. And the Chamber of Commerce is there to help with a 50-state fact sheet detailing exactly how many jobs and billions of dollars in commerce are tied to ports and waterways. Pick up today’s POLITICO paper or click through for more coverage from Scott: http://politico.pro/14G8gdX
Spend, baby, spend: The House bill slowly ramps up spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, ending at 80 percent of the tax receipts spent in FY 2020. But that’s not enough for PORTS Caucus Co-chairwoman and T&I member Janice Hahn, who has long been pushing for language ensuring all user fee money is dedicated to port projects. “We’ve collected it. We’re not spending it. We don’t have to add a new tax. We don’t have to raise taxes. Let’s just spend it,” she told MT. The Californian is considering an amendment to address the problem when the bill is marked up. Tim Bishop, the water panel’s top Democrat, later told MT that he “doesn’t think there’s any practical shot” of Hahn’s idea making it into the bill. While he’d like to see the language as well, Bishop said that it’s simply a matter of money: The shift would need to be offset by billions of dollars in cuts elsewhere — a difficult task even in good budget times.
Keeping Congress involved: Like its Senate counterpart, the House water bill abides by Congress’s ban on earmarks — but the bill’s authors say it does a much better job of keeping decision-making power on Capitol Hill. Pros get much more in Scott’s story: http://politico.pro/15SkDVi
WRRDA headline of the day: “House adds water infrastructure bill to pile of unfinished business.” The Kansas City Star. http://bit.ly/15V8bOx
STORMY THURSDAY. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes and automobiles, where today we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening of the new Lacey V. Murrow Bridge over Lake Washington in Seattle, which also served as the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90. The new span let drivers go straight from Boston to Seattle without leaving I-90: http://bit.ly/14LQUHm. Communication is the key to a good relationship — so stay in touch: asnider@politico.com. And on Twitter: @AdamKSnider and @POLITICOPro.
“That Honda Accord that you cannot quite afford speeds past you at night on the freeway …” http://bit.ly/1fScX46
DISPATCHES FROM THE NAPA FLY-IN: The National Asphalt Pavement Association’s first-ever D.C. fly-in had some news of note — but none bigger than Senate EPW ranking member David Vitter saying the federal government doesn’t spend enough on transportation infrastructure. “There are some of my conservative colleagues, particularly in the House, who have somehow decided that it’s a core conservative principle that the current financing mechanism for the highway bill is all there should be in perpetuity and that’s all there should ever be, and that’s the limit,” the Bayou Stater said in a speech. “I don’t get that.” Kathryn has the story for Pros: http://politico.pro/18WhWgq
Shuster’s life lesson: Speaking soon after the WRRDA event, Shuster attributed part of the water bill's success to his friendship with Democrats Nick Rahall and Bishop. In particular, Shuster singled out Bishop, saying they became friends because of the congressional baseball game. “I was really mad at him because he threw me out twice,” Shuster said, joking that he tried and failed to get back at Bishop with WRRDA. Your MT host, who was at the game, can vouch for Bishop’s glove and arm — at nearly twice the age, he’s a better fielder than your host ever was or could be.
Oops: NAPA’s fly-in debut sure was memorable, but possibly not for the reasons one might expect. Introducing one panel discussion was Larry Lemon, a retired Oklahoma City asphalt contractor and past NAPA president. Lemon recounted a long joke about who might sleep with “Brad Pitts” for a million dollars, as a way to illustrate the theoretical versus reality. But the joke raised more than a few eyebrows when its punchline culminated in “two hookers and a queer.” Alex Herrgott, an aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe, who spoke on the panel immediately following, observed that “we say what the hell we want” in Oklahoma.
** U.S. global competitors are modernizing airports, expanding high-speed rail, improving transit and increasing highway performance. While the rest of the world is speeding up, the U.S. is slowing down. Join the debate on how to revitalize America’s travel infrastructure at the U.S. Travel Association’s Connecting America Through Travel Conference. (http://bit.ly/CATTtrav) **
RAHALL SEEING COAL: It’s no secret that Rahall is fond of coal. But on Wednesday, the West Virginia Democrat was seeing it in the Capitol. As Rahall began speaking at the WRRDA presser, something suddenly caught his attention: “As a matter of fact, that looks like a lump of coal sitting right there,” he said, pointing to an object on a chair. “Is that what that black lump is?” A reporter replied that “it’s an umbrella,” eliciting laughter from Rahall and others in the room.
REMEMBER THE AUTO BAILOUT? Well, people are still squabbling about it four and a half years later. GM was right to boost the pensions of unionized employees during the move, the administration’s former auto czar said in the latest round of a fight dating to the earliest days of the Obama presidency. While United Auto Workers members employed by Delphi, a major GM supplier, had their pensions kept intact and even boosted during the bankruptcy proceedings, salaried employees and members of smaller unions had theirs transferred to the PBGC, which imposed steep cuts because they were massively underfunded. Kevin for Pros: http://politico.pro/15Tk3GA
THE ROGERS REPORT: The House pulled its CR from this week’s calendar on Wednesday due to divisions over how hard to push for repealing or defunding Obamacare. Aides say they hope to act next week, POLITICO’s great David Rogers reports, but much needs to be worked out before then. The CR doesn’t directly address FAA and other furloughs but includes spending flexibility language to avoid the budget-induced days off. Rogers has more: http://politi.co/15S1x1m
IN TODAY’S FEDERAL REGISTER — Air your airport complaints: The FAA is out with a final rule that “updates, simplifies, and streamlines” the rule for filing complaints against airports that get federal support, including letting people file electronically. Read the entry: http://1.usa.gov/18c6VMV
Speaking of rules … DOT is out with its new monthly report that updates the status of over 100 rules. There’s something in there for every regulatory nerd out there — so give it a look yourself (be warned that the link opens as a Word file): http://1.usa.gov/1e2EZNJ
COCKPIT DOOR BILL DROPPED: On the 12th anniversary of four planes being hijacked and used to kill thousands of people, Sen. Bob Casey introduced a bill requiring that airlines install a barrier — other than the door — between a plane’s cockpit and cabin. More info: http://1.usa.gov/15SabNt
HAZMAT, EH? The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is asking PHMSA and its Canadian counterpart to ensure that hazardous materials being transported are accurately described and documented. TSB, which is investigating July’s deadly freight train derailment and fire in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, said that its tests found the crude oil being moved was categorized as less dangerous than it actually was. Read TSB’s statement: http://bit.ly/1eiK0CJ
BE AN EDUCATION PRO: We're excited to announce that POLITICO Pro Education, the newest Pro policy area, will officially debut Wednesday, Sept. 18, with original reporting, breaking news and insight into education policy. Subscribers will also receive exclusive early-bird editions of Morning Education. Interested in access to Pro Education? Email info@politicopro.com or call (703) 341-4600.
PROS, YOU’RE INVITED: Join the POLITICO Pro Technology team today for an in-depth conversation on the future of the Internet, and implications for policy, government and innovation. To find out more about "POLITICO Pro Technology Report: The Future of the Internet," contact proevents@politico.com.
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)
- Talk about poor timing: There was a fire drill — complete with smoke and flames — at Boston’s Logan International Airport on the Sept. 11 anniversary. The AP: http://bit.ly/18URVOu
- Problems with the overhead wires snarled Amtrak traffic between Washington and Philly yesterday. Baltimore Sun: http://bsun.md/14Nl1hA
- Coffee definitely powers your MT host — but it could also power your car. Atlantic Cities: http://bit.ly/13MnMSW
- See the changes in the new Metro map that includes the Silver Line. WaPo: http://wapo.st/1g1ixkK
- Pope Francis gets a “papal white” 1984 Renault 4 stick shift — and he plans to drive it. USA Today: http://usat.ly/1e3trtI
- New GAO report: “Cargo Tank Trucks: Improved Incident Data and Regulatory Analysis Would Better Inform Decisions about Safety Risks.” http://1.usa.gov/1eivwTn
- New report shows Tesla’s Elon Musk needs to put a lot more cash into his battle with auto dealers. Houston Chron: http://bit.ly/15Xgt7A
- Former TSA employee arrested by FBI after making threats related to Sept. 11. KPCC: http://bit.ly/15kNAXm
THE DAY AHEAD: 8 a.m. — NAPA Asphalt Fly-in. 400 New Jersey Ave. NW.
8 a.m. — DHS, Coast Guard hold a meeting of the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee to discuss various issues related to the training and fitness of Merchant Marine personnel. Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, 692 Maritime Boulevard, Room A-111/113, Linthicum Heights, Md.
8:30 a.m. — Mobile Work Exchange holds its 14th semi-annual fall 2013 Town Hall Meeting, including a 10 a.m. session on telework featuring Assistant Transportation Secretary for Administration Brodi Fontenot. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW.
9 a.m. — The DOT Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office, in conjunction with FHWA and FTA, hold a free public meeting focused on soliciting input from the planning community and related national associations on policy and legal aspects of Connected Vehicle implementation. DOT, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE.
9 a.m. — DOT, FAA hold the seventh meeting of the RTCA Special Committee 227 on Standards of Navigation Performance. RTCA, 1150 18th St. NW, Suite 910.
9 a.m. — Northrop Grumman holds a briefing titled “Protecting Aircrews from Tomorrow's Threats,” including new Infrared Counter Measures (IRCM) for jets. National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Holeman Lounge.
10 a.m. — The Reason Foundation holds a discussion on a new report, “How to Pay for Rebuilding and Modernizing the Interstate Highway System,” including transitioning "from the gas tax to more sustainable mileage-based user fees via all-electronic tolling. 1747 Connecticut Ave. NW.
11:45 a.m. — The Virginia DOT holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Fairfax County Parkway at Fair Lakes Interchange. Fairfax, Va.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 19 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 384 days and FAA policy in 749 days. The mid-term elections are in 418 days.
CABOOSE — Photo mash-up: A picture is worth a thousand words, so MT won’t waste time trying to describe how awesome these shots of modern streets with long-ago workers are. Check it out yourself via the Atlantic Cities: http://bit.ly/17QIbrf
** Travel contributes $2.0 trillion to the U.S. economy and is an essential part of life. America’s travel experience and the businesses that support it are inextricably linked to the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. Yet, with chronic underinvestment in high-performing modes, policy barriers to connectivity and declining federal revenue, travel in America is changing. While the rest of the world is speeding up, the U.S. is slowing down.
On November 20, the U.S. Travel Association will host travel and transportation leaders at the Newseum for the first-ever Connecting America Through Travel Conference (http://bit.ly/CATTtrav).
Join us and help shape the discussion on how to revitalize America's travel infrastructure.
At the conference: Discover new research examining the links between infrastructure investment and growth in the travel sector; hear from national leaders on the challenges to maintaining and building efficient, connected transportation systems; and forge new allies for advocacy efforts in Washington and beyond. **
Politico Pro: Water bill backers ramp up sales pitch
By Scott Wong | 9/11/13 2:37 PM EDT
Less wonk. More real-world relevance.
That could be the new slogan for the lawmakers and lobbyists trying to pass the House’s first massive water and infrastructure bill since 2007.
The strategy: Emphasize the impact the bill will have on people’s everyday lives, including their clothing, home appliances and jobs.
Expect to hear that message a lot as House Transportation Committee bosses continue rolling out their version of the Water Resources and Reform Development Act this week.
The Senate passed its own $12 billion water bill by an 83-14 vote in May, using the legislation’s traditional name (the Water Resources Development Act) and a much-debated strategy for getting around Congress’s ban on earmarks. House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) added the word “Reform,” signaling his intent to limit costs and cut back on the notoriously long timelines of the Army Corps of Engineers’ project reviews.
Beyond those complexities, supporters’ challenge is to communicate their message to newer lawmakers who weren’t around the last time Congress approved a WRDA bill — and to average Americans who may not have been paying attention back then.
Their other hurdle: How to keep the water bill on track as budget battles, immigration and possible action on Syria vie for lawmakers’ attention this month.
In an animated YouTube video posted Wednesday, Shuster explains that the water bill is essential to household goods that are transported through the nation’s ports and waterways, from cereal and clothing to kitchen appliances. His committee is also distributing a user-friendly booklet about the bill for constituents, lawmakers and stakeholders.
And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week unveiled a 50-state fact sheet detailing exactly how many jobs and billions of dollars in commerce can be traced to each state’s ports and waterways.
“We needed something on a state-by-state basis that essentially explains how waterways and ports contribute to the economic vitality of the United States,” said Janet Kavinoky, the chamber’s executive director for transportation and infrastructure.
“It’s more of an education process for folks on Capitol Hill who have never done a WRDA bill,” she added. “It’s something less wonky, more relevant that we can use to explain that this is a big piece of the economy.”
After months of delays, work is finally picking up on the House’s version. At Wednesday’s news conference, Shuster joined committee ranking member Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and other co-authors in introducing the House bill, which would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to tackle billions of dollars worth of dredging, flood protection and environmental projects.
The House transportation panel will hold a markup on Sept. 19.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has carved out floor time for the bill during the fall agenda, saying in a memo that the bill “cuts federal red tape and bureaucracy, streamlines the project delivery process, improves competitiveness, strengthens water resources infrastructure and promotes fiscal responsibility. Most importantly, WRRDA contains no earmarks.”
Among other highlights of the bill: The Army Corps’ review times for projects would be limited to three years while $3 million caps would be placed on how much the government can spend on the studies. And like the Senate bill, the House plan establishes a process to deauthorize at least $12 billion worth of inactive projects on the corps’ long to-do list.
“We have good reforms in there that need to happen,” Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Transportation subcommittee that oversees water issues, told POLITICO. “If we don’t do WRRDA, we’re gonna have projects in there that will actually stop at the end of this year and add to the costs and delays.”
The chamber’s 50-state report highlights exactly what’s at stake in lawmakers’ backyards. For example, the fact sheet for Florida says waterways and four major ports support nearly 120,000 direct and indirect jobs in the state and contribute more than $23 billion a year to the Sunshine State’s economy. Direct jobs include longshoremen, terminal operators, truckers and freight forwarders.
Even in landlocked Idaho, waterways and ports back nearly 10,000 jobs and contribute $1.6 billion to the economy, the chamber says.
“Obviously, doing WRRDA and getting these projects going creates jobs, but it also creates jobs in the future because we’ve got a more efficient system,” Gibbs said. “If the river system is shutting down or there are slowdowns and stuff is not moving through like it should, there is a ripple effect through the whole economy.”
Shuster’s video, a nod to Schoolhouse Rock’s beloved “How a Bill Becomes a Law” cartoon, illustrates how a wonky acronym like WRRDA affects kitchen-table issues for families.
“It’s a bill that’s essential to our everyday life,” the chairman narrates in the video, which features a drawing of a man sitting in his kitchen. “You see, we are surrounded by the goods that travel through our ports and waterways, goods that start off our day, goods that feed us."
“Imagine what life would be like without this commerce,” he continues. “Many of the things you rely on wouldn’t be available, including the cereal we eat, the appliances we cook with and even the clothes we wear.”
Until now, not much had leaked out about the House bill, a signal that committee Republicans and Democrats have been working well together, observers said. And despite Washington’s obsession right now with the Syria situation, supporters said they’re committed to seeing the WRRDA bill through.
The water bill “is not getting the attention and focus it needs in the larger aspect of Congress,” Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), whose district includes PortMiami, told POLITICO. “But in the committee work, it should still stay on target.”
Adam Snider contributed to this report.
Politico Pro: House water infrastructure bill keeps Congress’ hand in projects
By Scott Wong | 9/11/13 4:50 PM EDT
Like its Senate counterpart, the House water infrastructure bill unveiled Wednesday abides by Congress’s ban on earmarks — but the bill’s authors say it does a much better job of keeping decision-making power on Capitol Hill.
Under the House Water Resources Reform and Development Act, the Army Corps of Engineers would review proposed projects and submit them to Congress in an annual public report. A project’s review would include its potential benefits, a statement of support from a non-federal sponsor, and cost estimates.
Lawmakers would use that Corps’s report to decide which port, dam, canal and other water projects get authorized.
Under the Senate bill, “the Army Corps of Engineers and OMB authorize; they take Congress out of it. Our bill does not do that,” House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said at a news conference. “We have not ceded one ounce or one inch of our constitutional authority to the executive branch.”
The new bill put the onus on states and local agencies to propose the projects instead of Congress, a departure from past WRDA bills which lawmakers loaded up with pork-barrel projects.
Other highlights of the bill:
— It would limit Army Corps feasibility studies to three years; currently there is no cap. And the bill caps the federal cost of studies to $3 million. That’s the same approach as the Senate bill.
— It fully offsets authorizations with deauthorizations: The bill authorizes $8 billion in new projects, plus $2 billion in modified projects, while deauthorizing $12 billion in old, inactive projects.
— It sunsets authorizations if no work is done on a project within seven years, preventing backlogs.
Shuster appeared before reporters alongside the panel’s ranking member, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), Water Resources Subcommittee Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and that panel’s ranking member, Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) — a bipartisan sign that the legislation should have little trouble getting through the committee. A markup is planned for next week.
“This is a good bill that we have produced,” Rahall said. “It’s not exactly the bill I would have written if I had my druthers. It’s not exactly the bill the chairman would have written if he had the opportunity to write the bill himself.”
It’s definitely not the bill environmental critics would have written either. Melissa Samet, who oversees water resources issues for the National Wildlife Federation, blasted the House and Senate legislation’s limits on how long the Army Corps could take and how much it could spend studying projects.
“The taxpayers, the public and the environment all lose in this situation,” Samet said. “When you move too quickly, you can have a huge environmental impact.”
Politico Pro: Vitter chides conservatives on transportation spending
By Kathryn A. Wolfe | 9/11/13 6:23 PM EDT
The federal government spends too little on infrastructure, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said Wednesday, chastising fellow conservatives who rigidly oppose any new revenues for transportation.
“There are some of my conservative colleagues, particularly in the House, who have somehow decided that it’s a core conservative principle that the current financing mechanism for the highway bill is all there should be in perpetuity and that’s all there should ever be, and that’s the limit,” Vitter said in a speech to the National Asphalt Pavement Association. “I don’t get that.”
Still, the Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member said he would not support any revenue raisers that were a “net increase for taxpayers.”
“There has to be some offset,” Vitter said, making one of his most extensive infrastructure speeches since taking the top Republican spot on EPW. He suggested that any hopes for a straight-up gas tax increase, the heart’s desire of many in transportation, is a pipe dream.
“The chances of that are slim to none in this Congress,” he said.
Still, he said he thinks some new revenues — such as those derived from expanded energy production — would not require an offset.
Vitter also praised the House for moving quickly on its version of the proposed Water Resources Development Act, saying he hoped it could be conferenced before the year is done. He said the WRDA could help build momentum for the next transportation bill, due by Oct. 1, 2014, which he said the committee has begun to work on.
And he asked attendees to lobby the tax-writing committees not to leash transportation revenues solely to a big tax code overhaul, but to consider moving a smaller transportation package instead.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon,” Vitter said.
Vitter said he agrees with transportation backers that infrastructure is a core government function. In contrast to some other conservatives who oppose providing new revenues for it, he said, current funding levels were not “an accident of history” or “handed down” from on high.
“If you look at current infrastructure needs, it’s inadequate,” he said.
Politico Pro: House panel squabbles anew on auto bailout
By Kevin Robillard | 9/11/13 7:24 PM EDT
GM was right to boost the pensions of unionized employees during the auto bailout, the administration’s former auto czar said Wednesday in the latest round of a fight dating to the earliest days of the Obama presidency.
The hearing of the House oversight government operations subcommittee focused on Delphi, a major supplier to GM. While United Auto Workers members employed by Delphi had their pensions kept intact and even boosted during the bankruptcy proceedings, salaried employees and members of smaller unions had theirs transferred to Pension Benefit Guaranty, which imposed steep cuts because they were massively underfunded.
Four and a half years after the bailouts of GM and Chrysler, the Big Three automakers are experiencing a small renaissance, with auto sales hitting a post-Great Recession high over the summer. But the lingering anger of thousands of dispossessed Delphi retirees — and the eagerness of Republicans to turn one of the Obama administration’s favorite achievements into a liability in the swing state of Ohio — led three members of the president’s auto task force to spend their Wednesday afternoons in the Longworth Building.
Rep. Mike Turner, whose Ohio district included many of the 20,000 Delphi workers who saw their pensions cut by up to 70 percent, led the Republican members of the committee in suggesting that the administration’s political ties to the UAW led them to boost union pensions while leaving salaried employees out in the cold.
Steve Rattner, the financier-turned-talking-head who helped lead President Barack Obama’s auto task force, said it was the UAW’s economic — not political — clout that led GM and the Treasury Department to help its members. UAW insisted on protecting those pensions as part of the bankruptcy proceedings for GM because of a promise the automaker had made while spinning Delphi off as a separate company in 1999.
“The UAW was an absolutely critical party to bring to the negotiating table,” Rattner said in his opening statement. “They had the power to hold up a deal in bankruptcy or to strike, either of which could have been devastating to GM’s efforts to get back on its feet and in turn, to the U.S. economy. This disparity in bargaining leverage may not seem fair, but it was the reality.”
But Christy Romero, the special inspector general for TARP, criticized the auto task force for publicly downplaying its role in the bailout and accused it of not being forthright about its motives.
“It would have been much better if Treasury had said that we were concerned that in addition to the traditional strike leverage, that UAW had the means to prolong the bankruptcy, that they didn’t think GM could survive the bankruptcy and that would hurt the auto industry,” Romero said. “They should have explained their decision and trusted American taxpayers to understand their reasoning.”
While members of the auto task force have long insisted that GM employees, not government bureaucrats, were running the company during the bailout, Romero’s report said the private-sector workers felt the administration was running the company — a talking point quickly embraced by Republicans.
Rattner said the union and GM decided the fate of the Delphi pensions on their own and contended that Romero “failed to distinguish between being involved in a restructuring and being involved in day-to-day operations.” If the auto team hadn’t played a large role in the restructuring, Rattner said, it would be under fire for not keeping a close eye on a major taxpayer investment.
Treasury became the largest stakeholder in GM during the crisis, pouring $50 billion into the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in July 2009.
The pension issue, which Mitt Romney and House Speaker John Boehner tried to use against Obama in the run-up to last year’s presidential election, remains intensely partisan, and lawmakers repeatedly tried to persuade Romero and a witness from the GAO to endorse their views. Turner and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the full oversight committee, had a sharp exchange during their opening statements.
“We know that that [Republican] narrative is false,” Cummings said. “SIGTARP’s report makes clear that a high-ranking GM official made that decision, not the administration.”
An angry Turner said he was “astonished” and accused Cummings of not doing his homework.
“I hope you actually sit down and read this report,” he said. “There is nothing in this report that says they were not involved in decision-making.”
“The administration picked winners and losers and that’s what this report says,” he added later.
The 59-page SIGTARP report, which was released in August and prompted the hearing, won’t be the final word on the pension saga. A lawsuit from retirees is continuing through the courts, and Turner said Congress issued more subpoenas to the administration on the topic last week.
NATIONAL NEWS:
The Atlantic Cities: Living Near Good Transit May Make You Happier
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/09/living-near-good-transit-may-make-you-happier/6867/
Jason Cao, a transport policy scholar at the University of Minnesota, has conducted a short but tidy study that demonstrates just what good public transit can mean to a person's life. His findings, in a word: satisfaction.